What Does Your Social Media Presence Say About You?
You’ll be surprised at how many businesses we meet with who dismiss the importance of a social media presence as part of their digital strategy. With a disdainful wave of their hand, they state categorically that their audience isn’t on Facebook, Instagram is simply a waste of time, and LinkedIn is a giant job search portal.
Love it or hate it, social media is not going anywhere fast and is a key platform for businesses. Here’s why.
Business Branding and Your Social Media Presence
Recently we had an issue with our telephone line which was out of commission for over three months. Finally, after all other avenues were exhausted, we went looking for them on social media to post a formal complaint. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best thing for office morale. Their social media page was littered with repeated comments on how revolting this company was – many of them in CAPS. The marketing department of this particular business carried on merrily posting special offers and information about their newest service and seemed blissfully unaware that under each well-designed post was a string of complaints about their service level, none of which were addressed.
We feel that this business’s money would be better spent elsewhere, not on Facebook memes. But it does highlight the importance of a social media presence – or shall we say – a positive social media presence.
Many consumers may not necessarily find your business on a social media platform, but you can be certain that they will look you up if they are thinking of doing business with you. If you are striving to build your brand but are trying to do so without the benefit of the correct social media platform, you are going to find yourself swimming upstream.
Your business brand is important, it’s who you are, and it extends to your social media presence. Which, in turn, leads us to another key point:
The Humanising Effect of Social Media
People like to deal with people. So, while you may work for XYZ Enterprises, when your customers call in they will be speaking to Jonathan in sales. Staff functions, social outreach programs or community events can be covered in style and shows the real people behind the company façade.
Further to this, as social creatures we like to share what we find interesting, and social media makes it easy for people to share products or posts with their friends and family. This makes it perfect for disseminating new ideas, interesting news articles or upcoming events.
Online Reviews
Having a social media presence for your business is a great way to encourage online reviews. A startling number of consumers check for reviews and comments on a business or product before choosing to buy. The reason for this is clear: as customers we want to know what other real people think, and not what the marketing department have to say.
Social media allows you to listen to what people are saying about your business or products, and it gives them an informal platform to interact with you. Be sure to reply to all comments and messages from your social accounts – it shows you view this input as important and that you are eager to please.
Selling Online
Social media has taken advertising to the people. With billions of people handing over personal information such as their age, gender, location, job title, etc to social media companies, there is a ready audience for pretty much any business.
Some products sell well on social platforms, some not so much. But either way, advertising on this medium is a brilliant way to target the right people wherever they hang out.
Choosing the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business
If you have made the decision to take your marketing into the social realm, then the next question would likely be, ‘’Which platform shall I use?”
Traditionally, Facebook works best for B2C businesses; LinkedIn for B2B; Instagram and Twitter are best for B2C but can work well for B2B for the right product. There are many other platforms, but these tend to be the most popular.
Does your business have a social media presence? If you are starting out, or need to fix what’s broken, then we are here to help. A successful social media campaign is more than a funny cat meme and can be a highly successful tool in your digital arsenal.
